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Former team owner, racer Alan Mann dies

Frank Gardner won the 1968 British Saloon Car Championship in an an Alan Mann Racing Ford. Photo by Ford Motor Company Ltd.

Alan Mann, a British team owner who played a key role in Ford Motor Co.'s worldwide Total Performance racing program of the 1960s, died on March 21 at the age of 75.

Alan Mann Racing, based the English village of Byfleet, won numerous major championships including the British Saloon Car Championship, the European Touring Car Challenge and the FIA World GT Championship for Manufacturers, all with a variety of specially prepared Ford cars. Many of the leading race and rally drivers of the time were employed by Alan Mann Racing, including John Whitmore, Carroll Shelby, Jacky Ickx, Bosse Ljungfeldt, Graham Hill, Frank Gardner, Jackie Stewart and Bruce McLaren.

An accomplished amateur race driver in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Mann formed a link with Ford that began in 1962 when he joined a South Coast Ford dealership, Andrews of Southwick. He also began an Andrews racing operation, with Jimmy Blumer driving the garage's Cortina GT.

The success of the Andrews team led to an invitation from Ford to take part in the Marlboro 12 Hours race at Marlboro Park Speedway in Upper Marlboro, Md., in August 1963. The Ford of Britain Cortinas of the Willment and Andrews teams were only supposed to beat the Volvos that had been winning the class in previous races, but they finished first and second outright in the race.

That sensational result created Mann's first big break, and at the age of 27 he set up Alan Mann Racing, which opened at the beginning of 1964. Instead of operating as a team seeking sponsorship, Alan Mann Racing was contracted to Ford and operated as a business.

Alan Mann Racing remained busy for the next seven years, chalking up countless victories, mainly with Ford Falcons, Mustangs, Lotus-Cortinas, Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes and Escorts. Alan also developed the lightweight Ford GT40, powered by the 4.7-liter engine, as he thought that it was the way to win the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1966. He was disappointed to be overruled by Ford, whose 7.0-liter Mk II cars took the top three places at Le Mans that year.

As Ford's motorsports policies were changing through 1969, Mann pulled out of motorsports and switched to a career in specialized aviation.

In the late 1990s, Mann revived Alan Mann Racing, which continues running Ford competition cars of the 1960s in major historic race meetings.

Mann completed his autobiography shortly before his death, and it is scheduled to be published later this year. He is survived by his wife, Sharon, sons Thomas and Henry, and his granddaughter, Eva.